Dragon Princess

At castle’s highest parapet, the Princess stood in tears.
Below, the clash of armored men assailed her tender ears.
Pig Warriors, spawned in hellfire, tore through her father’s men.
She feared the flag of King MacArt would never fly again.

At tower’s base they battered through the castle’s wooden door.
She heard the sounds of women screaming coming through the floor.
Then from the wall above her bed she drew a heavy sword.
With trembling arms she set to meet the beasts who’d slain her lord.

The door crashed in and up the stairs they came on cloven feet.
Their heavy tread could not drown out the pulse of her heartbeat.
She fell back to the balcony to make her last stand there,
but her gown tripped her and she fell into the open air.

She fell without a scream or cry down to the muddy ground.
The quiet prayer that ‘scaped her lips would be her final sound.
But in a rush of leather wings, a shadow on the sun,
she was swept up in a scaly claw before her fall was done.

Into the sky her savior rose; a dragon, fierce and wild.
Its grip on her was gentle, like a father with his child.
Above the fray the dragon soared off to his hidden lair,
the Princess clutched to his warm breast, protected from the air.

To his cave the dragon came and lay the Princess down,
and with a gentle saber-claw he straightened out her gown.
With tender puffs of dragon’s breath he kept the Princess warm,
and with his bat-like leather wing he sheltered her from harm.

After a time the Princess woke, her eyes grew wide in fright,
for though he was a gentle beast, he was a fearsome sight.
With a voice like rolling thunder, he spoke the Princess’ name,
and told her that he’d heard her prayer and that was why he came.

“My name is Ajax Amber Eye,” the dragon told the lass,
and settled his great body down upon the deep, green grass,
“Since days of old when all the sky was dark with dragon breed,
we Ajax dragons have always served your line in time of need.

“If ever there was time of need, that time is surely here,”
The Princess said, her eyes ablaze, they did not shed a tear.
“My father’s slain by warrior pigs, the castle is aflame,
I must return and send the pigs to hell from whence they came.”

“And how will you, my tender lass, defeat the warrior swine?
They’ll tear your body into bits and on your heart they’ll dine,”
the dragon laughed, but then he stopped and scratched his scaly chin,
“unless I turn a Princess meek into a warrior queen.”

And so the sun it rose and fell and many days did pass,
as Ajax undertook to train the fierce, but slender lass.
Soon her arms were hard as iron and steel was in her grip
And light as air she swung the sword she wore upon her hip.

And perched behind the dragon’s head they’d strafe the fields of corn,
and with her sword she’d top the stalks just like a warrior born.
By day she’d cut and hack and slash and make her broadsword sing.
By night she’d sleep exhausted sleep beneath the dragon’s wing.

There came, and soon, the day that she was ready for her fate.
Well trained, she was, and now her skills were equal to her hate.
Now the warrior pigs would learn the fury of her wrath,
and woe-betide the hapless swine that came into her path.

“Now’s the time, the dragon said, to put your sword to work,”
and from his chest he grabbed a scale and with a forceful jerk
he pulled it free and gave it to the Princess as a shield,
to guard her from the warrior pigs and from the swords they’d wield.

Through icy air the Princess flew atop the dragon’s shoulder,
and from her perch, with steely eyes, she saw the castle smolder.
The filthy swine did laugh and dance and caper in their glee,
until the dragon’s shadow fell across their revelry.

They scrambled for their weapons then and arrows filled the air,
but they could not pierce his scaly hide-- he showed them not a care.
The Princess blocked their arrows with her shield of dragon scale.
They set upon the piggies and their piggy snouts grew pale.

Pig’s heads fell from their bodies as her sword sang out its song.
With blasts of fire bold Ajax sent a panic through their throng.
They fought from dawn til sundown and the pigs were on the run.
The Dragon Princess and her soldier had the battle won.

But one pig warrior stood his ground, he wasn’t scared to die.
With flinty nerve he drew his bow and let his arrow fly.
It sailed up towards the dragon’s chest where his heart was concealed,
and found the spot where he had pulled the Princess’ scaly shield.

It buried deep, and down the dragon tumbled from the sky.
The light began to fade away within his amber eye.
He placed the Princess gently on the castle’s highest spire,
then crashed with frightening fury down into the bloody mire.

The Princess screamed and down the stairs she flew like hellfire burning,
and raced up to the warrior pig and as the pig was turning,
she plunged her sword into his chest and cleaved his heart in twain.
She fell then to her knees and wept, her tears fell down like rain.

Behind her then she heard a laugh, she turned her head and saw
the smiling dragon standing there, the arrow in his claw.
Her crying became tears of joy, her heart leapt in her breast.
She ran up to her dragon love and hugged his monstrous chest.

“But how?” she cried, “I saw you die! The arrow found its mark!”
The dragon laughed and then he winked-- his eye an amber spark.
“We dragon’s have two hearts, he said, and so we’re hard to kill.
The heart within my chest is stopped. The one in yours beats still.”